By : TwoCircles.net, Staff Correspondent,
Rajkot (Gujarat) : In a brazen midnight attack, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority leader, Ilyas Khan Pathan from Gujarat and his son were shot dead when a group of assailants attacked them late on the Saturday night at their residence in Rajkot. Pathan was also a member of Haj committee of India.
According to media reports, Pathan along with his two sons are said to be attacked by a group of his business rivals in Subhash Nagar area of the Rajkot city. Another son Akbar, who was seriously injured, have been admitted to a local hospital, the police said.
Initial reports suggest that the murder was due to some old rivalry in connection with property dispute between Pathan and the attackers.
Ilyas Khan Pathan was originally a youth leader of Gujarat Congress, Minority Cell who later joined BJP in presence of Arun Jaitely and Venkaiah Naidu.
Pathan was later appointed member of Central Hajj Committee by then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. He also looked after the state BJP Minority wing.
Pathan had filed cases against painter Maqbool Fida Hussain over nude painting of Bharat Mata.
According to primary investigation by Police, five assailants stormed at Pathan’s house with guns and knives. The miscreants attacked Ilyas Khan Pathan and his two sons when the former came back to his residence at midnight. His two sons, Asif and Akbar came out from the house to save his father where Asif was killed in the attack.
“Pathan’s two sons Akbar and Asif rushed to rescue him. However, the two were also injured in the attack. The trio was rushed to Wockhardt hospital where Iliyas and his younger son Asif died during treatment. His elder son Akbar’s condition is reported to be stable,” Gandhigram police station inspector R R Solanki said.
One assailant who was later identified as Abbas Kachara was also injured in the clash and has been hospitalized for treatment.
Meanwhile, three persons including one accused injured in the incident have been arrested by the police. Police is also examining CCTV footages to nab the accused on run at the earliest.